Drum tumbling apparatus

ABSTRACT

Tumbling apparatus for polishing and cleaning articles employing a drum comprising a tubular box having an openable cover member in which is received the articles and polishing media. The drum has opposing radially extending coaxially wheel disc side walls and trunnions extending outwardly along the central axis. The apparatus includes means for rotating the drum about its central axis and apparatus for loading and unloading the drum. The latter apparatus comprises a frame having means for receiving the drum trunnions to rotatably support the drum. Sieve means is arranged beneath said supported drum. The sieve is connected to vibrating means and means to tilt the sieve. A trough is located beneath the sieve. The trough can be elevated to a position above the supported drum so that the material in the trough can be delivered to the drum.

[451 Jan. 21, 1975 United States Patent [191 Dreher DRUM TUMBLING APPARATUS Primar Examiner-Harold D. Whitehead 1 t M f d D h E 1 b y or g z re nge S rand Attorney, Agent, or FirmMurray Schaffer [57] ABSTRACT Tumbling apparatus for polishing and cleaning articles Dr. Ing. Manfrid Dreher KG, Hauptstr., Germany Apr. 9, 1973 [73] Assignee:

22 Filed; employing a drum comprising a tubular box having an [21] Appl. No.: 349,299

openable cover member in which is received the articles and polishing media. The drum has opposing radially extending coaxially wheel disc side walls and trun- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data nions extending outwardly along the central axis. The

Apr. 19, 1972 Germany............................

apparatus includes means for rotating the drum about its central axis and apparatus for loading and unloading the drum. The latter apparatus comprises a frame having means for receiving the drum trunnions to ro- [52} U.S. Cl. 51/164 E of Search 5 3 2 2 tatably support the drum. Sieve means [8 arranged beneath said supported drum. The sieve is connected to [56] References Cited vibrating means and means to tilt the sieve. A trough UNITED STATES PATENTS is located beneath the sieve. The trough can be elevated to a position above the supported drum so that the material in the trough can be delivered to the drum.

2,470,340 5/1949 Cook 5l/164 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,097,852 l/196l Germany 51/l64 11 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures DRUM TUMBLING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates to tumbling apparatus for polishing and cleaning particulate articles, and in particular to control and servicing means for loading and unloading the tumbling drums.

Tumbling apparatus of the type herein disclosed employ drums having a tubular box having lid cover extending longitudinally between a pair of radially extending disc-like ends which form wheels by which the drum is rotated. The drum is adapted to be placed in a cradle which includes means for revolving the drum by engaging the peripheral surface of the end wheels. Material to be polished, such as small nails, nuts, bolts, etc., together with an abrasive and/or a liquid carrier, is inserted in the drum. The drum is placed on the eradle and allowed to rotate until the proper degree of cleaning and polishing is obtained. Thereafter, the drum is removed from the cradle, emptied and refilled with new material to be treated.

Large installations of drum tumbling means have been made wherein a housing has been provided which is adapted to support a plurality of drums aligned axially end to end and wherein either a common cradle or individual cradles are employed to rotate the individual drums. For such large installations control and servicing means have been provided for loading and unloading the drums which means are mounted on a frame movable along the length of the installation and selectively positioned in front of the individual drums. The drums are then moved onto the frame and taken up and supported by the trunnions extending from the side discs so as to be rotatable about their central axis. The attendant then opens the drum rotating the drum so that the opening faces downward and allows the material in the drum to fall out of the drum. When the drum is to be filled the empty drum is rotated so that the opening faces upwardly and the drum is then filled with the necessary articles and the polishing media.

The means for controlling and servicing the unloading and loading of drums according to the known art requires that the drum be manually rotated about its axis and the articles as well as polishing media be manually charged into the drum. The lifting and manipulation of heavy articles such as nails, bolts, pins, etc., as well as the suitable liquid media and abrasive when it is used is very difficult for the attendant and requires an inordinate amount of time. In addition to the manual charging of the drum the attendant is required to separate the already polished work articles from the polishing or tumbling media and while a sieve is generally provided in which this can be accomplished this operation is largely also a manual one. Consequently, the time for charging of the drum is extended and elongated by the time necessary for the attendant to successfully and completely separate the articles which have already been polished.

A further disadvantage of the known devices lies in the fact that it is very diffic ult to reuse the abrasive material, which of course has a life longer than any single tumbling operation. At the present time it is necessary for the attendant to manually transfer the abrasive material from the sieve and/or receiving hopper back into the drum. ln addition to the time expended in manually transferring the abrasive, this system is uneconomical since a great deal of the abrasive is lost during the transfer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for controlling and servicing drum tumbling apparatus wherein the disadvantages and defects of the known devices are overcome.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus for loading and unloading the drums of drum tumbling installations in which the manual operations of the prior art are generally replaced by automatic and self-operating mechanisms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means for controlling and servicing drum tumbling apparatus wherein the separation of the articles from the polishing media is more quickly, automatically and mechanically accomplished.

These objects, other objects and the advantages of the present invention are set forth in detail as an integral part of the disclosure of the present invention which follows herein.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION According to the present invention tumbling apparatus for polishing and cleaning articles is provided which employs a drum comprising a tubular box having an openable cover in which is received articles to be polished and the polishing media. The opposing ends of the box are provided with radially extending wheels forming the side walls and from which extend trunnions outwardly along the central axis. The tumbling apparatus includes means for cradling and rotating the drum about its central axis and apparatus for unloading and loading the drums and for servicing the drums with the articles and media to be tumbled. The apparatus for unloading and loading the drums comprises a frame having means for receiving the trunnions of a drum and permitting the drum to be rotated about its axis. Mounted within the frame below the position of the drum supported thereon is a sieve which is provided with vibrating means and means for tilting the sieve at one end. A trough-like hopper is located beneath the sieve. The hopper is mounted with elevating means by which it may be lifted from a position beneath the sieve to a position above the supported drum. With this apparatus the contents of the drum may be easily emptied onto the sieve where the articles which had been polished are retained and the polishing media allowed to pass through the sieve into the hopper. The hopper being thereafter automatically and mechanically movable to carry its contents from the position below the sieve to a position above the supported drum wherein the hopper may be emptied into the drum itself.

The present invention thus provides an automatic and mechanically operable means for controlling and servicing the unloading and loading of the drums wherein the attendant is only required to rotate the drum after the drum is fixed in its supporting position by its trunnions on the frame so that the opening of the drum either faces upwardly or downwardly. The separation of the material which had been polished from the media is automatically obtained by the shaking sieve itself. The articles are retained on top of the sieve and thereafter can be delivered to a waiting container merely by the automatic tilting of the sieve. The polishing media passes through the sieve into the hopper located below it which may then be automatically elevated above the drum and the media replaced into the drum for further use. The loading of'the drum with a new charge of articles to be polished is also facilitated by returning or maintaining the hopper to its initial position below the sieve and in this position filled with the heavy nails, bolts or other articles to be polished. Similarly, the heavy, hard, abrasive material can also be loaded in the hopper in its lower position. The loaded hopper with either the articles to be polished or the abrasive material can then be mechanically raised and the contents dumped into the drum without any effort on the part of the attendant. The filled drum can then be removed from the frame and placed back onto the cradle at the tumbling assembly. After the conventional tumbling operation is completed, the drum is again emptied automatically as indicated above so that the abrasive pieces fall automatically through the sieve together with any liquid in the polishing media while the articles that were polished are retained on top of the sieve. The cycle is thus repeatable for each drum in the tumling apparatus and successively for each individual drum after the completion of the polishing operation.

With the present apparatus the attendant need exert very little physical effort. Because of this the entire operation can be speeded up since it gives the attendant the possibility of preparing the articles to be polished and the additional or replacement abrasive material necessary for successive polishing. First of all, the attendant can prepare the additional charge of abrasive material for introduction into the hopper. Secondly, the attendant may either manually feed the articles to be polished into the open drum or when a relatively large amount of particularly small work pieces are handled to either firstly put them into the hopper together with the abrasive material or wait until the hopper is emptied of the abrasive material and then place the articles in the hopper for separate elevation into the drum. The present apparatus thus provides the attendant with several alternate methods of operation, any one of which or any combination of which he may choose depending upon the circumstances to speed up the operation of the tumbling process or to make that process less difficult for him. Since the attendants chief object in loading and unloading the drum is the feeding and removal of the corresponding quantity of material to the drum the present construction providing for a mechanically elevating hopper can be advantageously used for this purpose.

Preferably, the sieve means extends along the entire width of the take-up frame and fully beneath the drum supported thereon. The articles separated by the sieve and retained on top of the sieve are easily removed when in accordance with another feature of the invention a portion of the sieve extends at one end out of the side walls of the frame and is pivoted about an axis which extends transversely to the drum axis. In this manner the finished work pieces can be easily dumped into the container at the exterior of the frame without interfering with any of the other operations of the device, by merely tilting or elevating the sieve at its opposite end.

Further, the hopper is preferably shaped as a trough having enclosing side walls and a bottom. The trough also extends over the entire area beneath the sieve so that when the sieve is shaken the polishing media passing through it can fall directly into the hopper without the need for any retaining or guide means to direct its flow. Preferably the trough is provided with at least a portion of its bottom or side wall perforated so that the liquid content of the polishing media may be drained leaving the abrasive material in the trough free of fluid. Thus the waste of the polishing operation is easily removed and the abrasive material, left ion the hopper trough can be reused.

Preferably, the elevating means by which the hopper is lifted is provided with two arms pivotable about a common axis. The arms are journalled or linked at one end to the corresponding sides of the trough and are fastened by their other ends to an axle which is pivotally journalled between the sides of the frame in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum and in a plane below that of the drum axis. The arms are adapted to extend outwardly from the front of the frame, i.e.: the side away from the tumbling means and is adapted to carry the trough in an are from its lower position below the sieve to its upper position above the supported drum. The drive means by which the pivot axle supporting the arms can be made in various ways. A particularly simple method which is relatively small and compact and suitable for the type of the present apparatus is provided by mounting a sprocket wheel at one end of the pivot axle and extending an endless chain over it. The endless chain is held taut by a plurality of idler sprocket wheels and is pulled by a cylinder piston hydraulic or pneumatic actuator in reciprocating directions. On the pulling of the chain the sprocket wheel is adapted to rotate, thus rotating the pivot axle.

In order to reduce the effort and labor of the attendant, the present apparatus is preferably provided with means to lift the drum from the cradle of the tumbling apparatus. This lifting device moves the drum to a bridge extending from the tumbling apparatus toward the take-up frame of the present device. The bridge is arranged so that as soon as the drum is placed thereon the drum will roll by itself into the take-up device and into the supporting means for the trunnion without any manual effort on the part of the attendant. Here the attendant is concerned only with transporting a freshly filled drum back to the cradle of the drum rotating apparatus. A suitable construction for the lifting device comprises at least a pair of double armed levers pivotally mounted about a common axis on an outrigger extending from the frame beneath the drum tumbling station. The ends of the lever are provided with a laterally extending projection which is adapted to engage the periphery of the wheels of the drum. To move the lever, a piston-cylinder actuator of pneumatic or hydraulic form is used.

When the present invention is employed with an installation wherein several tumbling stations are provided all aligned axially end to end, it is preferably that the drum take-up frame for the loading and unloading means is slidably connected with the housing of the tumbling frame so that a single take-up frame can be adjustably positioned before each of the drum rotating stations. This is advnatageously affected by the use of the outrigger beam which may be provided with roller means hung or supported from the tumbling apparatus so as to enable the frame to slide from one end of the tumbling apparatus housing to the other.

The drum take-up apparatus is formed so that it is provided with upper edges in the form of rails on which the trunnions of the drum can roll. Preferably the rails are arranged along the top edges of the side walls of the frame and parallel to the plane of the side wheels of the drum. This arrangement is advantageous when the drum to be used has cylindrical trunnions extending from its sides. The two spaced apart walls allow the drum to be positioned between them and by providing as in accordance with the present invention the upper edge of these walls with a journal notch or depression, which receives the trunnion the drum may be successfully supported so that it may be easily and simply rotated about its central axis. In order to reduce the effort required by the attendant to manually position the drum trunnions in its journals, the journals are preferably formed as notches forming a semi-circular discshaped bearing for the trunnion which seats therein.

Full details of the present invention are set forth in the following disclosure and are shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through drum apparatus provided with the device of the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Turning to FIG. 1 there is generally depicted by the numeral 1 a drum tumbling assembly comprising a housing in which a pair of elongated rollers 16 and 17 are mounted spaced from each other and extending parallel to each other in a horizontal plane. At least one of the rollers is driven by conventional motor and pulley belt or gear transmission means as is conventional in this art. The other roller if it is not driven is at least freely rotatable. On these rollers, one or more drums 18 (shown in dot-dash lines) are axially arranged end to end next to each other. Each of the drums 18 is provided at its ends with enlarged disc-like wheels 20, 22 between which the drum box 24 is formed. The box is provided with an opening through which the contents may be inserted or removed. Extending outwardly from the center of each of the side wheels 20, 22 along the central axis of the drum is a trunnion or bearing shaft 26, 28. The apparatus for loading and unloading'the drums and for controlling and servicing the emptying and filling of the drums is depicted generally by the numeral 30, which together with a cantilevered support 32 is movable along the housing 10, with the cantilever support 32 arranged beneath the rollers 16 and 17, so that the apparatus will move perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing seen in FIG. I, placing the loading and unloading apparatus in front of each of the drums supported on the rollers l6, 17 as desired. The cantilevered support 32 may be formed for example by two parallel spaced supporting outrigger rails 34, 36 which are carried by a pair of roller arms 38, 40 which roll in corresponding guide rails 42, 44. The guide rails 42, 44 extend along the entire length of the frame. The apparatus 32 for loading and unloading the drum device comprises a housing having a pair of parallel side walls 46 and 48, a bottom wall 50 as well as a front wall 51. On the inner face of the side walls 46, 48 there is hung a drum carrying plate 50, 54 respectively which are parallel to and symmetrically aligned so as to allow the drum 18 to be positioned between the wall with the side wheels 20, 22 parallel to the carrying plates 50, 54. The plates 52, 54 are spaced from each other only the distance to allow the drum to move freely therebetween and to allow the trunnions 26 extending from the side wheels 20, 22 to extend laterally over the upper edges of the carrying plates 52, 54. These carrying plates form a drum receiving device in the housing by which the drum 18 may be held after being removed from the rollers l6, l7. Arranged transversely to the axis of the drum between the frame 10 and the housing formed by the side walls 52, 54 are a pair of spaced guide channels 56, 58. These channels form a bridge and are spaced the distance of the drum between its wheels 20 and 22 so that the wheels are permitted to enter into the channels and roll over the bridge. The outer edge of each of the rails 56, 58 terminates within the area of the supporting plates 52, 54 and are spaced below their upper edge so that the drums 18 roll securely onto the plates with the laterally extending trunnions 26 located above the upper edges. The upper edges of the plates 52, 54 are provided with at least one stop means 62, 64 into which the trunnions 26 are adapted to seat. Preferably, the stop means 62, 64 are located so that the trunnions seat therein immediately upon the drum passing the edge 60 of the bridgese 56, 58. The carrying plates 52, 54 may also be provided with a second notch 66, 68 respectively which are arranged closer to the edge 60 of the bridge so that those drums having wheels 20, 22 of a smaller diameter than those indicated in the drawing and thus not passing fully to the first stop means 62, 64 can be accommodated. Preferably, the stop means 62 through 68 are open notches or disc-shaped semicircular bearing seats into which the trunnions can easily fall and be held. The semicircular shape of the notches permits the drum to be rotated about the trunnion axis.

The upper edges 70 of each of the supporting plates 52, 54 inclines downwardly from the notches toward the tumbling frame housing 10 and are so arranged that the trunnions of the drum can pass freely over these edges until sometime as they come to rest in the stop means 62 through 68. Consequently, the drum 18 moving over the bridge channels 56, 58 moves freely and does not require any attention by the attendant or any effort by the attendant to get the drum to seat securely in its bearing arrangement in the stop means 62 through 68.

Thus, the drum is journalled so as to be freely rotatable with its axis horizontal to the ground generally above the plane of the rollers 16 and 17 of the drum tumbling device. Located beneath the position of the supported drum on the supporting members 52 and 54, is a sieve generally depicted by the numeral 74. The

sieve comprises a rectangular box-like hopper 76 hav ing a perforated or screened bottom 78. The sieve box 76 extends along the entire length between the supporting walls 52, 54, as seen in FIG. 2 and generally beneath the drum 18 supported on these walls, as seen in FIG. 1. The sieve mechanism is however located behind the front wall 51 of the frame, which prevents material from spilling out of the frame onto the attendant. The sieve box is mounted by means of rollers 80 which ride in parallel guide rail channels 82, 84 which are supported on a horizontal frame 86. The frame 86 is engaged at its right end as seen in FIG. 2 by a vibrating device 88 which is formed of a pneumatically actuated ball vibrator. The vibrator causes the sieve box to be shaken so that the material received in the box 76 can be separated into its various component portions.

As will be seen from FIG. 2 the sieve box 76 is provided on its left side with an opening extending along its bottom 78 out of which a chute 90 extends through an opening 92 in the left of the side walls 46. At the opposite end ofthe hopper box 76, from the chute 90, the supporting frame 86 is engaged by a piston rod 93 extending from a pneumatic cylinder 94 by which the sieve mechanism, as seen in the dot-dash lines of FIG. 2 may be raised from its horizontal position to a tilting position. In the tilting position the sieve is placed at an angle sufficient to empty the hopper box of any material or articles which may be resting thereon. In combination with this tilting the box 76 may be vibrated and shaken so that the contents of the hopper may be more easily separated into its component parts and the heavier parts resting on the sieve may be more easily removed therefrom. As seen in FIG. 2 the axis for the tilting of the sieve box extends along the opening 92 in the side wall 46 and extends in an axis which is transverse to the axis of the supported drum. Thus, the contents of the sieve box are emptied to the side of the apparatus housing and not to the front. This side-like emptying does not interfere with the movement of the operator and the contents may be more easily emptied into a waiting container or receptacle without preventing the operator from his other duties with respect to the apparatus.

Returning to FIG. 1, there is located beneath the supporting frame 86 of the sieve box 74 a trough-like hopper 96. The trough 96 is box-like in form having an open top which has a dimension substantially coextensive with the bottom of the sieve so that material passing through the sieve bottom 78 is reliably and assuredly received in the trough. The bottom 98 of the trough 96 extends in a direction of the drum frame but is inclined downwardly from the front wall 52 toward the rear. The rear wall 100 of the trough is at least along its bottom edge perforated so that fluid mixed with the tumbling medium can be run off and drained. A discharge or drainage pipe 102 extends into a suitable outlet such as a sewer arrangement beneath the apparatus so that the liquid flows through the trough and completely out of the way. The trough 96 is carried by an elevating mechanism generally depicted by the numeral 104 and is movable by this elevating mechanism from a first position below the sieve box 74 in an arcuate manner into a second or raised position over the supported drum l8 journalled on the supporting plates 52, 54 as seen in the dotted lines of FIG. 1. The elevating means 104 comprises a pair of swingable arms 106, 108 which are mounted respectively at one end about a common axle shaft 100 which extends across between the side walls 46, 48 parallel to the axis of the supporting drum. (The axis of the supporting drum is also defined by the coaxial location of the stop means 62, 64 and 66, 68.) The shaft is freely journalled in the side walls. Each one of the swing arms is parallel to one side of the side walls of the housing and they project outwardly of a slot 112, 114 respectively opening in the front of the housing. The swing arms have their free ends bent in a substantially right angle and extend in an opening 116 which is formed in the housing below the forward wall 51. The free ends of the swing arms are journalled on the sides of the trough 96 so that in the first position with the trough beneath the sieve the arms 106, 108 are positioned vertically next to the front wall 51. The right angle arms are provided with inwardly directed rotary axles 118, 120 which are journalled to the side walls of the trough 96 permitting the trough to be tipped or pivoted about the axles 118, 120. As seen in the dotted lines of FIG. 1, when the trough is in its upward position above the drum housing the trough 96 must be tipped so that its contents are emptied into the drum.

To actuate the elevator mechanism the transverse shaft or axle on which the arms 106, 108 are carried is provided on its right end as seen in FIG. 2 with a sprocket wheel 102. The sprocket wheel is fixedly connected to the shaft 110 for conjoint rotation. Over the sprocket wheel 122 as well as over a number of similar sprocket wheels 124, 126 and 128 a drive chain 129 is tautly trained. A piston-cylinder a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator generally defined by the numeral 130 is arranged to stand vertically in the base of the housing 30. The piston rod 132 extending from the cylinder carries a laterally extending gripping member 134 which is connected to the chain 129. The actuator 130 is adapted to move the piston upwardly and downwardly in a reciprocating motion thereby causing the taut chain to assure a similar motion rotating the axle 110. On rotation of the axle 110 the arms 106, 108 swing to elevate and lower the trough 96 from below the sieve to above the drum. Control of the piston cylinder actuator 130 can be obtained by conventional valve means, relays and other control apparatus well known and bearing no further description in the present invention. With such an apparatus it is possible to effect only the partial elevation of the trough 96 by only partially moving the rod of the actuator 130 between its extreme positions. Thus, the trough 96 can be moved in an arcuate path outside of the framing of the walls 46, 48 so as to be freely available to the attendant for removal of any contents therein or for the addition of any contents to the trough prior to its raising to the filling position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. In this manner the attendant may use the trough to assist him in filling the drum 18 with the work piece articles, the abrasive media or any other material necessary for the operation.

The apparatus of the present invention operates as follows.

At the beginning of the operation, the attendant can place tumbling material into the trough by causing the actuator 130 to lift the trough to an intermediate position where it is away from the housing walls and thus more readily accessible to the attendant. The attendant can place into the trough at this position sufficient abrasive material, articles to be worked, fluid and other material necessary for the operation. Thereafter the trough 96 is moved into its upper dotted line position as seen in FIG. 1 constituting the filling position. The trough is tipped so that its contents are deposited into an open drum box. The drum box is closed and thereafter the trough is returned to its lower position beneath the sieve where it may be subsequently filled with tumbling media, etc. from another emptied drum. The filled trough is moved in both the upward and downward position by the automatic operation of the actuator 130 without the need for the operator to expend any effort or strength in the matter. The drum 18 is then removed from the supporting walls 52, S4 and rolled into position on the rollers 16 and 17 where it is rotated for the length of time desired. When the operation in the drum is ended the drum is placed again within one of the stops 62 through 68 on the supporting walls 52, 54 and is easily rotated by the attendant. The

attendant merely opens the cover and rotates the drum 18 so that the drum opening faces downwardly. In this position the contents of the drum fall and drop onto and into the sieve apparatus 74. The sieve is shaken by the vibrator 88 and in a short time the polishing media is separated from the articles which were polished. The articles remaining on top of the sieve bottom 78 while the polishing media falls through the sieve into the trough 96. The polished articles are removed from the sieve by tilting the sieve with respect to its supporting frame 86 so that the articles fall out of the chute 90 at the side of the apparatus. The polishing media flowing into the trough 96 undergoes its own partial separation therein with the liquid portion flowing out of the perforated back or open back into the drain 102. The solid waste material resting on the inclined bottom 98 of the trough. The operator thereafter rotates the drum 18 so that its opening faces upwardly and then actuates the elevating means 104. The trough is raised past the intermediate position where if necessary additional medium or articles can be added to the trough. The material in the trough is then lifted to its filling position and dumped into the open drum 18. The trough may then be lowered into its position below the sieve or may be lowered to its intermediate position where the attendant may supply additional medium and articles. Successive movements of the elevating means and trough may be necessitated by the size and weight as well as the bulk of the contents to be placed into the drum. However, after filling the drum 18 the lid is closed and the drum is replaced onto the tumbling rollers 16 and 17.

The removal of the drum 18 from the tumbling rollers 16, 17 is obtained without any manual effort by the means of a drum lifting device generally depicted by the numeral 150 which comprises a pair of double armed levers 160 mounted for conjoint movement on an axle 152 journalled in the spaced rail members 34 of the outrigger device 32. The shorter arm 154 of the double armed lever is linked to the piston 156 of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder actuator 158. The longer arm 160 of the double armed lever extends normally parallel to the rails 34 of the outrigger device and is bent upwardly into a short upwardly extending portion 162 from which laterally extend a member 164 which is adapted to engage the peripheral rim of the wheels 20, 22 of the drum 18. Actuation of the cylinder 158 causes the horizontal arm 160 to move counterclockwise and raise the vertical portion 162 upwardly so that the ends 164 press against the wheels 20, 22 of the drum 18. The arcuate movement of the double armed lever causes the drum to roll on the forward roller 16 onto the bridge channels 56, 58 from which the incline of the bridge channels causes the drum 18 to roll forwardly onto the loading and unloading apparatus until the trunnions 26 enter into the semi-circular stop members 62 through 68. Thus, the attendant is not required to extend himself into the frame of the drum tumbling apparatus to physically lift and move the roller into its take-up position. The attendant is only required to move a freshly filled drum 18 from its position in the loading and unloading apparatus back on to the rollers 16 and 17. This is a considerably simpler and easier task than taking the full drum from the rollers.

Various modifications, changes and embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing disclosure. Others will be obvious to those skilled in this art. it is therefore intended that the present disclosure be taken as illustrative only of the present invention and not limiting in any manner.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a tumbling installation for polishing and cleaning articles employing a drum comprising a tubular box having an openable cover member in which is received the articles and polishing media, said box having opposing radially extending coaxially wheel disc side walls and trunnions extending outwardly along the central axis of said side walls, said tumbling installation having a housing for supporting said drum means for rotating said drum about its central axis, apparatus for loading and unloading said drums comprising, a frame spaced in front of said housing, a bridge extending from said frame toward said housing over which said drums are adapted to roll on their wheel disc sides, means mounted on said frame for receiving said trunnions and supporting said drum to permit said drum to be rotated about its central axis, sieve means mounted on said frame beneath said supported drum for receiving the contents of said drum, and including vibrating means for shaking said sieve, and means for tilting said sieve to remove the contents thereof, a trough for receiving the material passing through said sieve and means connected to said frame for supporting and elevating said trough between a first position beneath said sieve and a second position above said supported drum.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tumbling installation comprises an elongated housing adapted to rotatably support a plurality of drums in end to end relationship, said frame for said apparatus for loading and unloading said drums is mounted on said housing to be movable selectively into a position in front of each of said drums.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said polishing medium includes liquid and abrasive and said trough is provided with a perforated opening for the discharge of said liquid.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said frame is provided with a pair of spaced side walls having conforming inclined upper edges on which said drum trunnions are adapted to rest, said edges having at least one stop member for receiving the corresponding trunnion of said drum.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the sieve extends substantially between said side walls beneath the entire length of said drum and extends outwardly of one of said side walls and is tilted about an axis extending transversely to the axis of said drum to thereby discharge the articles resting thereon outwardly of said frame.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said trough extends substantially beneath said sieve.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the elevating means comprises a pair of arms fixed at one and about a common shaft journalled in the side walls of said frame parallel to the axis of the supported drum, said arms being spaced apart and having their free ends journalled into the side walls of said trough, permitting said trough to tilt with respect thereto.

8. The apparatus accordiong to claim 7 including drive means for said elevating means comprising a sprocket wheel secured to said shaft, an endless chain entrained over said sprocket wheel and a pistonbeneath the means for supporting and rotating said drum, said lifting mechanism comprises at least one double armed lever pivoted at its central fulcrum about an axle journalled in said outrigger and having means at one end for engaging the wheels of said drum.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 including a piston-cylinder actuator mounted on said frame and linked to the other end of said double arm lever to pivot the same. 

1. In combination with a tumbling installation for polishing and cleaning articles employing a drum comprising a tubular box having an openable cover member in which is received the articles and polishing media, said box having opposing radially extending coaxially wheel disc side walls and trunnions extending outwardly along the central axis of said side walls, said tumbling installation having a housing for supporting said drum means for rotating said drum about its central axis, apparatus for loading and unloading said drums comprising, a frame spaced in front of said housing, a bridge extending from said frame toward said housing over which said drums are adapted to roll on their wheel disc sides, means mounted on said frame for receiving said trunnions and supporting said drum to permit said drum to be rotated about its central axis, sieve means mounted on said frame beneath said supported drum for receiving the contents of said drum, and including vibrating means for shaking said sieve, and means for tilting said sieve to remove the contents thereof, a trough for receiving the material passing through said sieve and means connected to said frame for supporting and elevating said trough between a first position beneath said sieve and a second position above said supported drum.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tumbling installation comprises an elongated housing adapted to rotatably support a plurality of drums in end to end relationship, said frame for said apparatus for loading and unloading said drums is mounted on said housing to be movable selectively into a position in front of each of said drums.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said polishing medium includes liquid and abrasive and said trough is provided with a perforated opening for the discharge of said liquid.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said frame is provided with a pair of spaced side walls having conforming inclined upper edges on which said drum trunnions are adapted to rest, said edges having at least one stop member for receiving the corresponding trunnion of said drum.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the sieve extends substantially between said side walls beneath the entire length of said drum and extends outwardly of one of said side walls and is tilted about an axis extending transversely to the axis of said drum to thereby discharge the articles resting thereon outwardly of said frame.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said trough extends substantially beneath said sieve.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the elevating means comprises a pair of arms fixed at one and about a common shaft journalled in the side walls of said frame parallel to the axis of the supported drum, said arms being spaced apart and having their free ends journalled into the side walls of said trough, permitting said trough to tilt with respect thereto.
 8. The apparatus accordiong to claim 7 including drive means for said elevating means comprising a sprocket wheel secured to said shaft, an endless chain entrained over said sprocket wheel and a piston-cylinder actuator for selectively reciprocating said chain to rotate said sprocket wheel and shaft.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said bridge extends perpendicular to the axis of said drum and said frame carries means for lifting said drum from said support and rotating said drum onto said bridge wherein said drum is rolled onto said loading and unloading apparatus.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the frame is provided with an outrigger device extending beneath the means for supporting and rotating said drum, said lifting mechanism comprises at least one double armed lever pivoted at its central fulcrum about an axle journalled in said outrigger and having means at one end for engaging the wheels of said drum.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 including a piston-cylinder actuator mounted on said frame and linked to the other end of said double arm lever to pivot the same. 